had changes in behavior, thinking or mood, hostility, agitation, depressed mood and suicidal thoughts or actions while taking or after stopping chantix. if you notice any of these stop taking chantix and call your doctor right away. tell your doctor about any history of depression or other mental health problems, which could get worse while taking chantix. don't take chantix if you've had a serious allergic or skin reaction to it. if you develop these stop taking chantix and see your doctor right away as some can be life-threatening. if you have a history of heart or blood vessel problems, tell your doctor if you have new or worse symptoms. get medical help right away if you have symptoms of a heart attack. use caution when driving or operating machinery. common side effects include nausea, trouble sleeping and unusual dreams. with chantix and with the support system it worked. it worked for me. [ male announcer ] ask your doctor if chantix is right for you. hi, everybody. good morning. two big washington stories top our agenda. first, breaking within the last hour, chuck hagel just picking

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up a hue endorsement. new york senator schumer giving an endorsement. the white house had launched a major pr about hagel's views about israel, iran women and gale rights. the other big story, will president obama trump congress and take executive action on guns? the white house official tells biden's recommendations including 19 that the president can act on by executive order alone. >> i'm confident there are some steps we can take that don't remember legislation, and that are within my authority as president, and where you get a step that has the. "usa today" reporting that

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weighing tougher restrictions on gun control. >> this is people have to live through these tragedies after tragedy after tragedy. in maryland governor o'malley announcing a controversial and then in delaware. jack martell is putting his weight behind a proposal to end the gun show loophole. the nra under fire for releasing the new iphone app. yesterday. it eye lows players as young as 4-year-old to practice shooting at coven-shaped targets. >> how sick are these people

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running a great organization, a proud organization, how sick are these people that have command eared the nra and turned them into an extremist organization. >> many of those who are members appreciate the mission in protecting sportsmen and hunters' rights have to be curious to how and why an organization has allowed the credibility of members to be besmirched and diminished. joining mess is rosa delawyero. i just want to mention directly off the top, you have pitched your own bill on monday called the support assault firearm elimination or the safer streets act. basically creates a refundable tax credit for a gun owner who turns in their fire arm to state poli police.

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>> who are this is people? how could they be so insensitive to not understand the weight of what they're doing and target practice, so starting at age 4, and shooting at coffins, do they not understand what happened in sandy hook? what happens in our cities all over this nation with youngsters dies through this gun violent? >> i think the membership should rise up against a leadership that's so out of touch. >> one thing that has come forward is the anticipation of these 19 suggestions that's come forth, that he could take action on right away. one of your colleagues, said i will seek to thwart of action by any means necessary. when you hear about how

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obstinate people on the right already are for the potential of any type of executive order, what is your rye action to hearing how people wo throw out the word "impeachment"? >> it's always good to know what's being proposed before you react to it. i think my colleague needs to take a step back, see what the proposals are, and then you can agree or disagree. i'm encouraged by what the vice president is talking about. and particularly on executive order that the ability for the centers for disease control to go back to doing the research that they -- which is their mission on what injuries or deaths come from firearms. that's they're function, but the vice president is talking about banning assault weapons. i think today in "the washington post," we have 58% of the public who believe we ought to do that. people are in favor of the

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high -- i don't know who my colleague represents, but he ought to be listening to the people of this nation who want to see some efforts made to prevent the kind of efforts -- the kinds of things that happen, the overwhelming slaughter of the innocents in sandy hook. >> we know who you represent and that's the people of connecticut. last night rachel maddow had some parents of the children lost on the show talking about where we stand. >> it's not just republican, democratic, independent. >> no, no. >> that is the thing that's just blown my mind. i feel like it's really not about your party right now. >> it's not. it's not. >> i feel like it's about our children. >> there's much larger cultural and societal issues here. we can't even begin to address those, because they're just so enormous, but you have to start somewhere.

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>> congresswoman, the emotion for them, it's still heartbreaking to know what the people in newtown are going through with the loss think suffered last month. the president was there before the remembrance service they had, we saw pictures of him with family members, of those who lost loved ones. the political capital he's gained with reelection, and knowing the appetite of the country, do you think the best course of action is to do something with executive order, or would you prefer that it has to be slugged out in congress? >> well, there is a combination of things. first of all, let me comment. i could not see the video, but you can just listen to the pain and voices of the parents. it's not about democrats or republicans. it is about the lives of our children and our protecting them. i was so taken that sunday night in newtown, when the president said we have to ask ourselves the question, are we protecting

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our children? he said, we have to admit that we are not. so it is a combination of what can be done by executive order and what the congress will have to deliberate. no one is suggesting this is being done by fiat, but there are common-sense ways in which we can bring some control to this issue. again there's overwhelming support of banning assault weapons, mill tar-style weapons, the high-capacity magazines, closing the gun show loopholes. it's overwhelming. i think 80% of the public wants to go there. and then what are we going to do about resources for folks who are troubled with mental health issues. 67% of adults, 80% of our children who have mental health issues cannot get those services. this is our responsibility. if we want to serve in these

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jobs, we need to be protecting americans, american families, american children. we now have an opportunity to do that. let's listen to the parents and the teachers of youngsters all over the country, whether they el in sandy hook, new shaich, bridgeport or other cities that say protect my child. that's our job. that is what we are going to try to do. >> congresswoman delauro, we appreciate your time. >> thank you. met's bring in our power panel. and it's great to have you all here. i do want your take on the gun control issue in a second, but the other big story we've been following over the last hour is the chuck hagel p.r. tour. right now we have this big

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endorsement coming from senator schumer in part saying in general i believe any president deserves latitude while the senate confirmation process must be allowed to run its course, it's my hope that senator hagel's thorough explanation will remove any lingers controversy. >> senator, your thoughts on chuck hagel, any type of rough waters he's faced so far in getting confirmed? >> well, of course i think some of it comes from the fact that he is bipartisan. he is one of those in the middle, and was a great guy to work with in the senate. i think that kind of frustrates some people in a sense that, you know, both supporting president obama, but he's a great guy, brings tremendous resources to the table. as a former -- as a veteran and former soldier, you know, i just think that a lot of people may disagree in some ways, but i think deep down people will

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figure out he's got the tools and skills to be able to do the job and do it well. i think he'll end up being confirmed. >> we also have california senator barbara boxer saying after speaking extensively by senator hagel by phone last week and getting a detailed spoke response to my questions, i will support his nomination as secretary of defense. it seems like the frost is melting, but there's still the frost from the right. >> well, there is. i think we'll see some contentious hearings. we heard some hints over the weekend that republicans will bring out former staffers, former aides who have clashed with hagel in the past. senator bob kosher in tennessee said that i think on cbs' sunday show, so no smooth sailing by any means, but at the end of the day, having schumer on board is a big deal, having boxer on board is a big deal. and with 5 of them, we'll see

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whether or not republicans really want to use their political capital in trying to filibuster a nominee, especially one by the way, who will have so much support from outside groups like veterans associations. >> there'sing so much talk about how there is frost between the left and right. i want to get your take on this. this was a statement made by the president yesterday at the last press conference of his first administration. it was about the aloofness perception that seems to get out there around him and his inner circle. take a listen. >> most people who know me know i'm a pretty friendly guy. i like a good party. personal relationships are important. obviously i can always do a better job. the nice thing is now that my girls are getting older, they don't want to spend that much time with me anyway, so i'll be calling around looking for someone to play cards, so i'm getting kind of lonely in this big house. >> do you think that means he'll

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accept invitations to go over to the white house? we have this graphic when it comes to state dinners, speaker boehner has not been to one yet. mitch mcconnell we want to one. is that a fair assessment that the president is not making the social connections he needs when it seems that the right is turning him down. >> no question. i think some democrats have probably told me in the president's first term that he was somewhat antisocial. look, this is a good thing and a bad thing. he very much is a family person, he enjoys being around his nuclear family, and that's admirable. however, you are the president. part of your job is to reach phone across the aisles to develop close relationships, but also with members of your own party. i think even members of his own party would say this president has a bit of coolness about him, a bit of distance action and i

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think that hurt him when it came to certain policy initiatives, and quite frankly a lot of people on the right said i don't think necessarily think what the president is thinking. i'm not sure exactly sure what position i should say. that was pretty much a common known factor, if you will here in washington, d.c., and hopefully that will change in the second term. >> one thing that will be an uphill battle is the talk about the gun control, and with the vice president putting forth the gun task force, 19 different ones, and senator, i want to ask you about this. we have seen former presidents use executive order in the past. george bush 41 in '9 banned importation of some weapons. bill clinton banning importation of 50 semiautomatic assault weapons, and then in '01 banned

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the importation of assault pistols. you were elected in 1998 when you started serving on the hill. so explain to all of us, what was the attitude at that point when they executive orders were used at that time as compared to what you're seeing and hearing about how president obama is -- the people are talking about impeachment over the fact that he might use some executive order privilege to get gun control? >> well, actually i was elected in 1992 to the house and actually did vote on the assault weapons ban in 1994, went through reelection and it was a tough time, but the fact is i think people realize today that we've got to do something. i agree, listening to those parents talk about the loss of their children, it's excruciating. we've got to do something. i think the president realizes that and he'll take some action that he can. i don't think he will overstep his bounds, he will look at the opportunities he has and will work to reach out to congress to

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see what requires legislation, but what's got to be comprehensive, no doubt about that. i represented a huge district in my house district, three counties didn't even have any services from the mentally ill. so there's a lot that can be done and we've got to work comprehensively, but going back to the last question, i just have to say friendships tame time. they do take work. i came to the senate in 1998, was elected. i had twin 2-year-olds. i'm always a family person. my kids are 16. they still like to spend time with me. the fact is you've got to make the effort. all of them have to make the effort to build those kind of respectful friendships that allow them to work together. i know the president, i've worked with him, i've worked with john boehner, they are both good and decent guys. they can come together to provide the leadership to get

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things donivities our power panel, thanks to all three of you. i really appreciate your time. coming up next, boehner ace biggest nightmare, deal with a few new anti-establishment lawmakers that could make things harder. one of the them is congressman yoho. coming clean, lance armstrong telling oprah he is in fact guilty of doping. our big question for you today, on the heels of that admission, does he deserve forgiveness and his ban lifted? what are your thoughts? tweet me or fund me on facebook. so you say men are superior drivers? yeah. then how'd i get this... [ voice of dennis ] ...safe driving bonus check? every six months without an accident, allstate sends a check. ok. [ voice of dennis ] silence. are you in good hands? starts with arthritis pain and a choice.

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republicans have two choices. they can act responsibly and pay america's bills or act irresponsibly and put america through another economic crisis. they will not collect a ransom in exchange. >> that's a warning shot from president obama on the debt ceiling deadline, making it clear he's not going to negotiate with the gop insisting on using it, but the president facing a gop unwilling to negotiate with him. a in lawmakers is newly elected congressman ted yoho, a tea party backed conservative. great to have you here. we appreciate your time. congratulations, as you were just recently sworn in. you have made a real name for yourself so far by saying that you really want to make john boehner accountable for what he's doing there on the hill. our first team is reporting that the chief goal of obama's press

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conference was to -- for raising or not raising the debt ceiling. then this morning former house speaker newt gingrich weighed in saying the gop congress is coming out a loser. >> it's a threat they can't sustain. no one is going to default. no one is going to allow the united states to not pay its bills. no one is going to accept the economic costs. it rallies the entire business community to the president's side. i don't think we should pick fights where we are in a position where we can't in fact in the end enforce our will. we have no evident that barack obama is going to compromise. >> sir, you voted for the deal, but you have also said you wouldn't vote to raise the debt ceiling. are you still firm on that? congressman yoho, can you hear me? >> yeah, go ahead. >> i was saying, yeah, you have said that you will not vote to raise the debt ceiling, however

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you did vote for the fiscal cliff deal. do you still stand firm on the debt ceiling position? >> we, no, sir, i didn't vote for the fiscal cliff deal. i wasn't sworn in yet. but it's like we've said -- >> you said you wouldn't vote for it, if it were you. >> right. i agree. i did not say that, but i didn't vote that way. we've raised the debt ceiling seven times, and it hasn't resolved the problem. the only thing it's done is made us go more in dead. president obama yet on his news conference said raising the debt ceiling will not raise our debt ceiling. all we've raised the debt, we have to may more interest. that in it/will increase the spending. we have a spending problem in this country. that's what we need to address. >> what is your biggest bone of content with john boehner? you've been very public about the fact that you don't think his leadership is something you

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wanted over this new congress, you didn't vote for him to be the speaker. what is your main problem with him? >> i have no personal problems. i keep hearing that. he himself said i carrying no grudges. we've talked several times. the point is to let him know with le stand up to leadership and hold him account annual. i think that's important to know. that really is on both sides of the aisle. if you go back there were people that challenged the leadership, too. i think that's a good thing. you have new members of congress willing to stand up and saying let's rethink this. let's put america first, not necessarily party politics. i fired the first volley that you would make boehner's life a little more hellish, so now you're saying he doesn't hold any grudges toward you and is looking to have you basically fall in line. so has he demonstrated to you

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the leadership that you're looking for so far? >> i'm seen him in several conference committee meetings and i respect him for that. i think at this point in time we need to go in a different direction, but in the same token, i voted for cantor, and i will support leadership when we come to the same great in the direction of this country. >> you ran on repealing obama care. >> i sure did. >> why didn't you co-sponsor the bill with michele bachmann when it was introduced? >> against i've only voted a couple times. i wasn't here i believe when it came throughivities it was the first bill introduced in the 113th, michele bachmann's former repeal of obama care, apparently has no co-sponsors. >> i'll have to go back, if we can jump on that, i will definitely be on that 100%. >> have you had a chance to meet michele bachmann and other tea party leaders witness the party?

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>> yes, sir, i have. >> what is your take? is the goal to work more cohesively within the new 113th and the republican caucus in general? or is it to be more, again, looking for the accountability that you are, probably a little more obstinate? >> no, i think what you'll see out of the 113th congress is we will come together, we will have better consensus and a better message action a clearer message when we come out of the conference and you'll see more unanimity -- sometimes that word is hard for me -- but more people behind that and promoting that. i think you'll see that out of the 113th congress from the people i've talked to. >> all right. as a large animal vet, i've been reading about you, you can lead a horse to water, hopefully you'll be able to make it drink. we shall see. congressman ted yoho, thank you for the time. >> i appreciate it. have a great day.

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just don't stop thinking about this. keep thinking about this. keep this in your head. talk to each other, talk to your teachers, talk to your kids, talk to your fellow parents, your friends, just -- i don't mean to overuse the cliche, but have the conversation. so family members of the newtown school shooting saying it's time to put the politics and side and work to end gun violence. serious of ashley judd about a senate run in kentucky? we'll talk about -- we're back after this.

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confession was not exactly what she expected. >> i would say he did not come clean in the manner that i expected. it was surprising to me, i would say that for myself, my team, all of us in the room, we were mesmerized and riveted by some of his answers. i would say that he met the moment. at the end of it, literally 2 1/2 hours, we both were pretty exhausted. >> so how will his fall from grace and this confession affect the future of one of the greatest cyclists ever? nbc sports and speaking sports radio hose rob sim care -- is it for forgiveness or strictly because he wants to compete. >> the question is, why now? he had many over opportunities to confession to what he had

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been doing, most likely the answer is there's something for him to gain, which is namely being able to compete in triathlons, other sports governed by the world antidoping agency. he was banned for life for competing in any events governed by this antidoping agency, and confessing will apparently get him a bit of relief, he'll be able to get that suspension reduced. a ball of lies that's been borne over the decade. how does this unravel what this means for him legally. he was very litigious, whether it would be in a newspaper or even other athletes that were trying to come forward? >> that's one of the things i think makes him so unsympathetic. he spent ten years intimidating people, suing people, threatening people who were telling the truth about what he was doing. now today he's got civil lawsuits being brought against him by a number of entities, insurance companies that paid

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bonuses to him for winning tour de france titles, floyd landis, one of the his teammates at one point is bringing a lawsuit against him, a whistle-blower lawsuit, because he was basically alleged that armstrong was taking money from the u.s. government, the u.s. postal service which sponsored lance armstrong's team, and he was lying to the u.s. postal service about doping. he has a lot of civil exposure. he apparently decided it was worth it to questions, even risking that civil liability to get a chance to compete and move on. in the sports world, are people going to look at him maybe give him a bit of a break or see this through a hypocritical light? he's done such good work through the livestrong foundation. >> he's a very complicated guy. he's clearly done a lot of good through that organization, that charity. he talked about that charity, also, by the way, did a lot of good for him. his association with that

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organization allowed him to be much more marketable as an athlete to make millions in endorsement deals with nike -- >> a huge part of his brand. >> a huge part. listen, did he do good? yes. but is this the way to do good? do the ends justify the means of lying for a decade? its coercing other athletes to dope with you, as he did. it's a philosophical debate. people will have to drake their own conclusion. after they watch him. we'll see it tomorrow. rob, always great to see you. thank you. here are some other stories topping the news. officials in indiana reporting that the flu-related death toll has reached 21. it's the latest to report a death since the flu season, and officials say it's the strongest they have seen. a very brave mika got her flu shot. good news to pasch along for the

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bush family. george h.w. bush is resting at home. he spent two months in a houston hospital recovering from complications to broncite. los angeles county coroner's office has unveiled a new autopsy report of natry woods. the cause of her death changed from accidental drowning to drowning, and other undetermined factors. her body was found floating off catalina island in 1981. coca-cola unveiling a two-minute ad campaign to address steps that it has made to curb obesity. >> all calories count, no matter where they come from, including coca-cola and everything else with calories. if you eat and drink more than you burn off, you'll gain weight. less than two weeks after making inappropriate colts about the girlfriend of the alabama quarterback a.j. mccarron, brent muss burger is at it once again.

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he had this to say about reporter holly rowe. >> coming up next, "sportscenter" and holly rowe, who was really smoking tonight. i want to say so long from lawrence. >> no response yet from holly rowe or espn. look, if you have copd like me, you know it can be hard to breathe, and how that feels. copd includes chronic bronchitis and emphysema. spiriva helps control my copd symptoms by keeping my airways open for 24 hours. plus, it reduces copd flare-ups. spiriva is the only once-daily inhaled copd maintenance treatment that does both. spiriva handihaler tiotropium bromide inhalation powder does not replace fast-acting inhalers for sudden symptoms. tell your doctor if you have kidney problems, glaucoma, trouble urinating, or an enlarged prostate. these may worsen with spiriva.

by the armful? by the barrelful? the carful? how about...by the bowlful? campbell's soups give you nutrition, energy, and can help you keep a healthy weight. campbell's. it's amazing what soup can do. welcome back, everyone. as the nation prepares to hear from president obama on how he wants to tackle gun violence, we bring you more from my colleague rachel maddow and her interview with parents of a first grader who was killed one month ago. >> right after ben died, he said -- this is tough, but he said you promised you would protect us. >> yeah. >> and i did promise him that. >> sure. >> you know?

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so what do i say to him? i can't change what happened, i know it wasn't our fault, we just sent him to school, but i'll do whatever i can to help protect nate and protect ben's spirit. >> policy is shaped by a relatively small group of people, so i think what we want is for larger groups of people than policy makers to just keep talking, because those are the groups that will then affect the policy makers. just don't stop thinking about this. keep thinking about this. keep this in your head, talk to each other, talk to your teachers, talk to your kids, talk to your fellow parents, talk to your friends, you know, i don't mean to overuse the cliche, but have the conversation. it's not enough just to turn off the news and say, well, that stinks. not this time.

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the anticipation is building ahead of president obama announcement on gun proposals which could come as early as tomorrow. this has lawmakers on both sides defending their positions on how to address gun violence. joining mess is congressman john yarmouth from kentucky. as we listen to the wheeleders and they bring up the point that policy is shaped by such a small group of people, they're talking directly to you and your colleagues on capitol hill. what is your message to a family like the wheelers about what's taking place right now with this conversation? >> well, obviously my message to them is one of great sympathy and empathy, and respect, and i want them to continue to be a part of this drumbeat for action. as many of us has said, there's not going to be a legislative response unless there is this

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continued public outcry for action, and they're doing a great service to their country, as well as to the legacy of their children in stepping forward and being part of this. i think, as we saw on "the washington post" policy that was just today, almost unanimous support for some reasonable gun restrictions is pretty impressive. so i'm very hope up that we can use the -- this emotional and tragic episode to really make meaningful complex. >> as you know, all politics is local. we led off talking about what's taking place in maryland, also in delaware, in states like new york, they're also pushing the more aggressive measures to end gun violence. steve bashir -- or governor steve bashir said i am a hunter

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and gun owner, but we all must be open to ideas, and most importantly of our children in schools. during the short session that begins in february. in your estimation and your suggestion, what steps should your state and other states be taking on a local level to end gun violence? >> well, actually, i talked to my mayor fairly frequently, one of the mayors against illegal guns. and unfortunately the general assembly in kentucky has prohibited local options. in fact, in my district in louisville, if police confiscate weapons, they actually have to auction them off, they can't destroy them. so they guarantee there's absolutely no reduction in firearms. that's unfortunate, but it's

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kind of symptomatic of what we face in the country. there are rural states where there's a great legacy of hunting and gun owners. it's much harder to get anything done that in marineland or new york, where an urban environment is much more dominant. >> sir, i wanted to get your take on a completely off-topic question here, because some are saying you have inside knowledge about whether or not there will be some political face-changing going on for your home state of kentucky, and actress ashley judd's potential bid for u.s. senate. you told the wdrv news that i think she's very interested in becoming a candidate for some office. whether. i don't know, but she's a very serious potential candidate. what makes you believe she is a very serious potential candidate? >> well, first of all, she has been engaged in public policy questions for a number of years. i've been on programs with her,

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for instance, in opposition to mountaintop removal mining. she's got a public policy degree from harvard. this is somebody who has always been very, very involved in issues and very interested in politics, and she sees an opportunity to make a difference now. she's got a long career ahead of her. i think acting may have lost a bit of its luster for her, so she's looking to make a difference in a different way. i know she's doing things that a serious candidate would do. she's done polling, done opposition research on herself. she's talked about raising money and how to go about that. so she's very issers in getting involved. >> as we know, there's no theater involved in politics, congressman, none whatsoever? >> no theater at all. [ laughter ] . she would fit right in. that's what we do. >> thank you, congressman. coming up, a dramatic decision by miss d.c., a

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perfectly healthy beautiful young woman is opting to have major surgery. i'm not talking about plastic surgery, either. time for the be preneuroof the week. kathleen had a successful bakery business in the hamptons, but a partnership that went sour resulted in her losing it. left with a storefront and recipe, she started tate's she makes more than 2 million cook any in a week. for more, watch sunday mornings at 7:30 on msnbc. this is america. we don't let frequent heartburn come between us and what we love. so if you're one of them people who gets heartburn and then treats day after day... block the acid with prilosec otc and don't get heartburn in the first place! [ male announcer ] one pill each morning. 24 hours. zero heartburn.

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those were the words of the ceo of the miss america organization. miss washington, d.c., allyn rose, who just competed in this weekend's competition will undergo a preventative double mass tect tomorrow, to reduce her chances of developing the disease that killed her mother and great-aunt. it was quite startling to read about this, allyn. as i understand it, it was your father who first approached you about having this preventative surgery just two years after you lost your mom. at the same time you also learneder genetically predisposed. at first you said no, but now

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you've had the surgery before your reign as miss d.c. is over. what changed your mind? >> my dad apropped me, i was 18 years old, just lost my mom two years before. it was tough to sit there and say i'm going to make this radical decision to change my body, but the more i did my research into it and i found out, you know, that my mom was diagnosed with stage 1 breast cancer at 27, stage 3 borderline stage 4, and she almost lost her life. i read through my mom's journals. in them she wrote a her say allie, i'm so sorry you, because you'll need me for many years, not just a few. that resonated to this i that my mom saturday there and struggled to write that her knowing she would lose her battle with breast cancer, would not be around for the crowning achievements in my life. i didn't want that to be me with my children. >> the number of women opting for this surgery that's

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increased tenfold over the decade as better genetic screening. there's even a term for previvors. what kind of response have you received? obviously your family is supportive. what kind of response have you received from people within the pageant world? as we know, the pageant world, natural beauty is a big part of all of that, so has your decision shocked a lot of people close to you? >> it has, and it's one of the things where you have a mixed bag of people who either support it or don't support it. when the story first broke, i had an incredible outcry of support of women all across the country writing to me, thanking me for sharing the story and getting the message out. like you said, there's a community called previvors, and they're bethlehem like me saying i'm going to take control of my health. i'm going take control of my life and not going to let a disease define who i am. so they've all been incredibly supportive, but, you know, like anything in a subjective

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industry, you have people who don't support what you are doing or say is this something that was garnering publicity for the pageant or something like that is correct but i think the good quote weighs the bad, and for every 99 positive messages, you have one person who, you know, is a naysayer. you can't listen to them. you know, it's my life. it's my body. it's my decision. >> all right. so you did not get miss america, but you will be deemed miss courageous. what is next for you as you finish out your reign as miss d.c., correct? >> i mean, i'm just incredibly happy to be back here in washington, to be able to represent, you know, one of the most amazing cities in the world, to be miss d.c. was an honor in and of itself. you know, it was never the miss america crown that i really sought after. it was being able to promote my platform on a national level, to have this message about women's health care be spread, and i think i've done that, and i'm very proud of my accomplishments, and i'm just glad to be back in d.c. and, you know, who knows where or what's next? >> an inspiration and an example for young women all around.

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appreciate it. >> thank you so much. >> we'll be back with much more after this.

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>> we asked. you answered. does lance armstrong deserve forgiveness and his lifetime cycling ban lifted? forgiveness, of course. cycling ban lifted. no way. one has to deal with own actions and take the punishment as well as the victories. sandra writes "no, we can't have our children thinking cheat issing okay." forgiveness always. we all fall short. ban lifted, no. he was too strong with denials. you can keep those comments coming into us on facebook and twitter. we do appreciate it. that's going to wrap things up for me today. thank you so much. i'll see you back here tomorrow at 11:00 a.m. eastern time. joining the show then house minority whip james clyburn and charlie rangel here as well. alex wagner is coming up next. what do you think about the lance stuff? forgiveness? lifetime ban lifted? what? >> denial ain't just a river in africa, thomas. i don't know.

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painful footage watching him scold america about asking about the doping. >> now he has gone to the confessional of oprah. we'll see how america responds. >> we'll be monitoring that, you and i, my friend, i'm sure in the coming days. today on our show, president obama is readying for a fight on the debt ceiling, or maybe not. will he be able to coax republicans in congress to do something, anything, or will the party of no take a page from its 2011 playbook? we'll dance on the debt ceiling with andrew ross sorkin, ryan grim, steve, and joy reid. plus, telemundo weighs on in immigration reform and whether the gop can get it together. after that, slate's talks about the hurdle of american workers and employees who are cutting hours to avoid paying for employee health care. we'll discuss lance's lies with investigate i sports journalist sell evena roberts. all that when "now" starts in a mere 180 seconds. you peace of mind. unbiased.

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